Want supper ideas, cooking tips and a dessert thrown in here and there? Then this is probably the blog for you. No haute cuisine. Just the things that pop into my head and end up on our table. Enjoy!

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Cheater Candy Cane Cake

Okay, the studying continues and I am running out of time so I am breaking out a recipe from Betty Crocker. I grew up using recipes from that cookbook and it never let me down. Now it's even easier to find something good via their website. Over the weekend, I had to make a couple of cakes or treats for the cakewalk at our Christmas Potluck and Bingo. My first choice was pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting because I can make them in my sleep - they are quick and easy. But, for my second, I wanted something a little more festive. Enter Candy Cane Cake!

I searched the web for a peppermint bundt cake recipe and came across this one. It was just what I was looking for - something very Christmas-y with few ingredients. I even broke one of my rules and used a cake mix because I got home late after grocery shopping. We rolled into the house at 3 pm and the potluck started at 5:30. I, somehow, managed to make the Creamy Pesto Dip with Chicken, Pumpkin Bars and this Candy Cane Cake in that short amount of time. It was crazy and messy in my house for a little while!

Anyway, here is the recipe, straight from the Betty Crocker website. At the end, I'll give you the link to the original recipe. And, because I was in such a rush, I only took pictures of the dip in process but not the cake. I just have the finished product.

3 In small bowl, mix white icing ingredients. If necessary, stir in additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until smooth and spreadable. Spread over cake. Sprinkle crushed candy on top. Store loosely covered.

I made a couple of changes - I know, big surprise, huh? I wanted more peppermint flavor and a redder stripe, so I added more peppermint extract and food coloring. I also don't care for white frosting, so I made a cream cheese frosting and added a little peppermint extract to it. The above recipe reflects my changes. The link below is to the original version.

About Me - The Unabashed Kitchen Wench

Kitchen Wench. You might be wondering where I came up with the name. I'd like to say I spent hours, days even, trying to think of the perfect name. Or, that a great deal of money was spent on market research. Sadly, neither of those is true. Here's what actually happened. I decided one afternoon, late in the day, to bite the bullet and start a blog. After all, I love to cook, and write. I'm always taking pictures of my family's meals and posting them on Facebook, why not take the next logical step? With that decision made, I realized a catchy name was next on the agenda. But what? It had to be clever, and something memorable. It must have the word "kitchen" in it because that's where the magic happens. Yes, I just said "where the magic happens." I know it's cliche, so sue me! (No, really, don't sue me, I'm just kidding! Why would you want to get ugly like that?) Anyway.......names with "kitchen" in it. Kitchen Diva? No, I am really not the diva type. Kitchen Goddess? Um, NO! Goddess would be the last word to describe me. And, then it came to me! Kitchen Wench! Wait, isn't being called a wench a bad thing, I wondered? Then I thought of Gerard Butler, with his sexy accent and crooked smile, saying, "...saucy wench." That was it - I was sold. Unabashedly. I could live with being "saucy", I am, as well as sarcastic. So, I think it fits. And, to answer the final burning question that you might have, why Gerard Butler? Heaven only knows why his face popped into my mind saying, "saucy wench." Maybe it was because I saw a commercial last night for a new movie he's in. Or, maybe it's just because he's one of the ones on my list of eye candy. But, I digress.......this is a blog about cooking, not who I like to stare dreamily at!